Project 52 ⇒ Minne's NEW 2019 52

[minniev]

I haven't yet decided exactly how to configure my 52 project this year, or whether to attempt two like I did last year. So I'm starting out with just one. I'm using the 52 list off the Facebook group I have done 52 projects with in the past, but I need the feedback I get HERE far more than I need the thumbs ups on FB. So, I'll see how that goes for now, and decide what else as I go.

As luck would have it, my first assignment is one I don't care for: candles.Well, I still don't have any candles, other than the same half used box of birthday candles I had last year, so out came the dolls again and I went into a deeper setup than I did last year when I simply photographed them.

I recently found an old scrapbook made in 1884 by a mother for her daughter Mamie as a Christmas gift. She had carefully cut pictures and poems out of magazines and newspapers and advertising flyers and cards and pasted them in. I love using old pieces of Victorian ephemera, so I plan to use this resource and a few other old items during my projects this year. The scrapbook is not a family piece but one that came into my care when I was a teenager and my family rented an old home following the death of Mamie, whom her heirs had never met. The heirs came to settle out the estate, got roaring drunk, and gave lots of things to me.

I still have some of them, including the scrapbook and the little pitcher the candle is in. The dolls are from my childhood. Everything else is a New Year's card from 1884, except the lighter background beneath and the texture, which came from Kim Klassen's collection.

EDIT: I am adding a copy of my 52 project hit list. This is from the 52 facebook group I belong to. Anyone is welcome to use these prompts for their own 52 here if they'd like, or you could join the 52 FB group if you'd like.

[PietFrancke]

what a wonderful beginning!! I love how the dolls have attained dimensionality - beautiful shadow work. The page/vase are properly flat, and somehow the dolls become alive. I'd like to see the candle come into the foreground more (not by moving it, but by making it brighter or something..). And I think for some reason the candle light on the girls is too hot and yellow (I think) - though the contrast with the reds on the flat must be one reason it is working... I wish the left hand girls dress wasn't so yellow, perhaps a notch less saturation. Worth an experiment to see, but I could be wrong and they might be on target. I know they feel alive - wonderful integration!!!! You knocked it out of the park Min!!

[minniev]

what a wonderful beginning!! I love how the dolls have attained dimensionality - beautiful shadow work. The page/vase are properly flat, and somehow the dolls become alive. I'd like to see the candle come into the foreground more (not by moving it, but by making it brighter or something..). And I think for some reason the candle light on the girls is too hot and yellow (I think) - though the contrast with the reds on the flat must be one reason it is working... I wish the left hand girls dress wasn't so yellow, perhaps a notch less saturation. Worth an experiment to see, but I could be wrong and they might be on target. I know they feel alive - wonderful integration!!!! You knocked it out of the park Min!!

Thanks Piet. Those are good points. I agree about the yellow. One of my frequent sins is that I see a problem, I start mitigating it, then I stop before I really get where I need to go. I painted down the yellows but not enough. I'll have another go at that! The candle I'm less confident about, but I'll see. I appreciate the feedback from somewhat you wrestles with the same dragons!

[Psjunkie]

Wonderfully done..Piet has a fine tuned eye for sure

[minniev]

Wonderfully done..Piet has a fine tuned eye for sure

Between piets art eye and your photography eye, I can compensate for being half blind! Thanks!

[davechinn]

I haven't yet decided exactly how to configure my 52 project this year, or whether to attempt two like I did last year. So I'm starting out with just one. I'm using the 52 list off the Facebook group I have done 52 projects with in the past, but I need the feedback I get HERE far more than I need the thumbs ups on FB. So, I'll see how that goes for now, and decide what else as I go.

As luck would have it, my first assignment is one I don't care for: candles.Well, I still don't have any candles, other than the same half used box of birthday candles I had last year, so out came the dolls again and I went into a deeper setup than I did last year when I simply photographed them.

I recently found an old scrapbook made in 1884 by a mother for her daughter Mamie as a Christmas gift. She had carefully cut pictures and poems out of magazines and newspapers and advertising flyers and cards and pasted them in. I love using old pieces of Victorian ephemera, so I plan to use this resource and a few other old items during my projects this year. The scrapbook is not a family piece but one that came into my care when I was a teenager and my family rented an old home following the death of Mamie, whom her heirs had never met. The heirs came to settle out the estate, got roaring drunk, and gave lots of things to me.

I still have some of them, including the scrapbook and the little pitcher the candle is in. The dolls are from my childhood. Everything else is a New Year's card from 1884, except the lighter background beneath and the texture, which came from Kim Klassen's collection.

I'm still totally undecided about another 52 project. I keep bouncing back and forth between spinning the wheel or just another 52 as previous. Altho, I can't seem to find the wheel, so the decision may have already been made.

I understand getting feedback vs thumbs up and never have quite figured out why that is. Maybe Facebook participants have limited opinions and want to save them for other things? Now that statement made a lot of sense. So, maybe my comments are Facebook comments. However, your 2019 52 project did start with your ever so creativeness, even thou you don't care for it. As it stands, I'm unopinionated with your results and will give you another
Dave

[minniev]

]


I'm still totally undecided about another 52 project. I keep bouncing back and forth between spinning the wheel or just another 52 as previous. Altho, I can't seem to find the wheel, so the decision may have already been made.

I understand getting feedback vs thumbs up and never have quite figured out why that is. Maybe Facebook participants have limited opinions and want to save them for other things? Now that statement made a lot of sense. So, maybe my comments are Facebook comments. However, your 2019 52 project did start with your ever so creativeness, even thou you don't care for it. As it stands, I'm unopinionated with your results and will give you another
Dave

Our wheel is located on this page http://www.photomentoris.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3421, but you can’t click on it directly. You click on the blue link words “Wheel Decide” in the first line of the actual post, right under the title, and it will take you to the Real Wheel, which you then spin.

The other option, and what I may do this year since I’ve already done the wheel once, is to join the FB group I’m doing it with. I have just today accepted the role of moderator for the FB group. Here’s a link to it so you can check it out. https://www.facebook.com/groups/3277779 ... p_activity
It has set of themes already laid out for the year. What I plan to do is post my 52 images both on their site and on ours each week, but will depend on my feedback here on pM. I am also hoping to get some of those folks interested in our forum. Some of them may enjoy having more conversation about their images, as I do. It isn’t just critique. It’s exchange of ideas, encouragement, the give and take we can share here that makes our group so helpful.

[minniev]

Here is an edit that my friend Richie C (whom some of you know from The Forum That Can't Be Named) sent me. He is having trouble getting his registration with PhotoMentoris sorted out so he couldn't post and comment himself.

A few interesting things he did here, that I'm trying to learn, was to paint with color (yellow) to add small patches of light to try and level out the lighting, and to paint in with patches of the textured background on places that might benefit from that. He did some adjustments on the shadowing as well. These little pieces of fine tuning helped address some of the issues of dimensionality and integration of the 3 D objects into the flat background.

I've worked on this one some more using Piet's feedback and Richie's, plus some hints from Frank.

[davechinn]

Thanks for the help Minnie. It does work now for me. Not sure why not before. I'm sure it was something I wasn't doing. After looking and spinning the wheel several times I'm leaning against it. Too many regulations to follow with the various categories. Just isn't something I'd rather not make a commitment with yet. I can see myself quitting early on with the wheel. So now I'm back where I was yesterday. Still undecided. Why does it have to be so hard ?
Dave

[minniev]

Thanks for the help Minnie. It does work now for me. Not sure why not before. I'm sure it was something I wasn't doing. After looking and spinning the wheel several times I'm leaning against it. Too many regulations to follow with the various categories. Just isn't something I'd rather not make a commitment with yet. I can see myself quitting early on with the wheel. So now I'm back where I was yesterday. Still undecided. Why does it have to be so hard ?
Dave

The wheel worked OK for me, and so does the pre-selected list. They both made me tinker with subjects and techniques I was unfamiliar with, so that was a good learning experience for me. The hardest thing about the wheel for me was keeping up with what I'd already done so I didn't duplicate themes, after a while I got confused. So I just made a copy of the whole list and as I spun one I'd check it off. That helped.

With the pre-selected list, there's dates listed for each theme so it was easier to keep up with. So last year I actually did a 104!!. This year I'll stick with 52, follow the pre-selected list, and post them both places. The feedback I get here is too valuable to miss. This week I actually posted here first, and can use the feedback to tweak it a bit before I post it on the FB site.